Tech Groups Step Away From Gab Network After Shooting (ft.com)

Tech companies including PayPal and Stripe have suspended their services from Gab, a social network catering primarily to US conservatives that had been used by the man accused of killing 11 people in a Pittsburgh synagogue. From a report: The moves are likely to reopen the debate about the limits of free speech online and the potential for social networks to radicalise users. Gab was launched two years ago by tech entrepreneur Andrew Torba, who became frustrated with what he perceived as a bias against conservative views on California-based social networks such as Facebook and Twitter. His site soon attracted controversial rightwing figures, including Richard Spencer and Alex Jones, who had been suspended or banned from other social networks. Robert Bowers, who has been charged over the shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh on Saturday, was among Gab's hundreds of thousands of users, the company confirmed on Saturday. Mr Bowers, whose profile on Gab featured images of guns and white supremacist iconography, made anti-Semitic posts and threats on the site just hours before the shooting. Since Saturday's shooting, Gab has been accused of not doing enough to prevent free expression from tipping over into hate speech on its site.

Online payments companies PayPal and Stripe, as well as hosting provider Joyent, all said they would stop Gab from using their services, [Editor's note: the link may be paywalled, alternative source] citing violations of their terms of services, which do not allow hate speech. Gab slammed the moves as "direct collusion between big tech giants" against it. This weekend is not the first time that Gab has been sharply criticised for the content it hosts.Last year, after a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, Google removed Gab from Google Play, its mobile app store, claiming it violated its policy on hate speech.

Comments

blame social media

[iggymanz]

yeah social media made him do it, riiiight.

And it's Alex Jones supporters shooting up ghettos and committing half the violent crime in the nations. oh wait no, that's 2 demographic groups doing that and they vote Democrat.

sure, Alex Jone and co. are whackjobs but their followers are mostly harmless compared to savages I'm talking about....

Re:blame social media

[PopeRatzo]

yeah social media made him do it, riiiight.

The shooter's username was usually a variation of "Based N-word", so yeah, it sounds exactly like he was radicalized on right-wing social media like 4chan and gab.

Have you ever heard anyone use the adjective "based" outside of those places?

Re:blame social media

[lgw]

yeah social media made him do it, riiiight.

Well, he did tweet that the only good reason to buy a MAGA hat is to burn it. Clearly he was radicalized by Trump-haters on Twitter. Also, this proves that Twitter is anti-Semitic.

Has anyone called for the banning of the brand of car he drove to the shooting?

Re:blame social media

[lgw]

Using a word that's only used in a certain community is a pretty good reason to believe you have spent time in that community.

OK, let me use small words. He joined that group because he was crazy; the group did not make him crazy.

Racist President = Vile Racist Electorate

[bryanbrunton]

When the President of the United States is an open unashamed racist, and many members of his party are open unashamed racists, the inevitable result is the current state of the America.

People didn't make these things up about racist Donald Trump:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racial_views_of_Donald_Trump

This not fake news.

You end up with the insane fringe shooting people.

It's nice that the tech community would drop support for these racist organizations, but is it going to help?

Re:In before someone says it

[lgw]

80% of people are just tired of political correctness. This partitioning is being driven by progressive extremists, for the express purpose of destroying America. They are slowly achieving their goal, but I do think the pendulum will swing back eventually. Most Americans left and right actually like America and want it to continue, after all.

Re:Free markets at work

[Mashiki]

if conservatives believe saying Jews should die, that only white men should be in power, that women deserve to be raped, then sure, why not. Because that is what you'll find there.

So why is it that conservatives are big supporters of Israel? Don't believe that white men should be in power, but the best person should be. Why not ask your local feminists, progressives, and liberals why they bend over backwards to defend Islam and the people who openly promote that raping women is acceptable. And openly protest against people, former muslims, and whatnot who are trying to reform Islam.

Why not ask twitter why they have verified terrorist groups operating on their platform, but nobody seems to care about that.

Re:In before someone says it

[meglon]

It's interesting that you are doing the exact thing you're complaining about liberals doing. Lets face it, conservatives project so much because they complain about things they PERCEIVE liberals would do....and they think liberals would do those things BECAUSE that's what conservatives would do in that position. Conservatives can't understand that other people can be better than their most basic vices.

As for you, we've already established your just a fucking idiot.... and you certainly don't know shit about liberals or how they think. As for what conservatives think... well, Jesus said to feed the hungry, heal the sick, cloth and shelter those in need.... and conservatives vote people into office that do EXACTLY OPPOSITE of that. Your rewriting of history in your post would be laughable if you weren't so fucking stupid as to believe yourself.